Why do we lose interest in an activity after we are rewarded for it?

The Overjustification Effect

, explained.
Bias

What is the Overjustification Effect?

The overjustification effect describes our tendency to become less intrinsically motivated to partake in an activity that we used to enjoy when offered an external incentive such as money or a reward.

a graph titled "The Overjustification Effect" on an orange background. The graph shows a line labeled "Intrinsic Motivation" that initially fluctuates and then sharply declines after a point marked "Reward." This illustrates how introducing external rewards can decrease intrinsic motivation over time.

Where this bias occurs

The overjustification effect can occur for any activity that we find intrinsically valuable. We do these activities because we enjoy them, not because they are a means to achieve an external goal or reward.1

For example, imagine that you have always loved painting because you find the activity calming. You start giving out paintings to friends and family as gifts, and a number of them suggest that you start selling them on Etsy. Thinking it might not be such a bad idea to make extra money, especially for an activity you love, you set up a page and charge people $20 for a painting. A while after you start painting to fulfill orders, painting no longer feels enjoyable. It feels like a chore.

You have lost the intrinsic motivation to paint since you were offered money for an activity you love.  Your intrinsic motivation to paint has been replaced with extrinsic motivation, which is motivation created by an external reward, such as money.2 However, replacing your intrinsic motivation for money has actually caused you to feel less motivated to paint. Even if you stop selling, your intrinsic motivation may not fully return, as you now attribute your past enjoyment to external rewards rather than personal satisfaction. Now, your external justifications for painting have overshadowed your inherent enjoyment of the activity itself. This is known as the overjustification effect.

Sources

  1. Santos-Longhurst, A. (2019, February 11). Intrinsic motivation theory: Overview, factors, and examples. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation
  2. Morin, A. (2020, June 28). How does extrinsic motivation influence behavior? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-extrinsic-motivation-2795164
  3. McQueen, P. (2014, June 10). Depression – Motivation and the secrets to getting things done – Part 1 – Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Thrive Wellness Toowoomba. https://www.thrivewellness.com.au/motivation-part-1/
  4. Psychology. (2016, January 21). Overjustification effect. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/control/overjustification-effect/
  5. Cherry, K. (2020, May 13). Why does the Overjustification effect reduce intrinsic motivation? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-overjustification-effect-2795386#citation-1
  6. Deci, E. L. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 18(1), 105-115. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030644
  7. Murayama, K. (2018, June). The science of motivation. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2018/06/motivation
  8. Explorable. (n.d.). Overjustification effect and the felt tip marker study. Retrieved September 1, 2020, from https://explorable.com/overjustification-effect
  9. Peterson, S. P. (2010). Examining the overjustification effect as a form of incentive contrast (Order No. 1482912). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (815239122). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/815239122?accountid=14656
  10. Eisenberger, R., Mitchell, M., McDermitt, M., & Masterson, F. A. (1984). Accuracy versus speed in the generalized effort of learning-disabled children. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 42(1), 19-36. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1984.42-19
  11. Phillips, L. A., Chamberland, P.-É., Hekler, E. B., Abrams, J., & Eisenberg, M. H. (2016). Intrinsic rewards predict exercise via behavioral intentions for initiators but via habit strength for maintainers. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 5(4), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000071 
  12. Gray, C. (2022). Workout motivation: The overjustification effect might explain why you don’t want to exercise. Stylist. https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitness-health/workouts/exercise-motivation-overjustification-effect/645143 
  13. Albert-Lyons, R., Capan, S., Ng, K. H., & Nautiyal, K. M. (2024). Reward value and internal state differentially drive impulsivity and motivation. Behavioural Brain Research, 471, 115073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115073 
  14. Lepper, M. R., & Greene, D. (1975). Turning play into work: Effects of adult surveillance and extrinsic rewards on children's intrinsic motivation. Journal of personality and social psychology, 31(3), 479. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076484 
  15. Greene, D., & Lepper, M. R. (1974). Effects of extrinsic rewards on children's subsequent intrinsic interest. Child development, 1141-1145. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128110 
  16. Hagger, M. S., Hardcastle, S. J., Chater, A., Mallett, C., Pal, S., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. (2014). Autonomous and controlled motivational regulations for multiple health-related behaviors: between- and within-participants analyses. Health psychology and behavioral medicine, 2(1), 565–601. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2014.912945 
  17. Deci, E.L., Ryan, R.M. (1985). Cognitive Evaluation Theory. In: Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Perspectives in Social Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7_3 
  18. Groh, Fabian. (2012). Gamification: State of the art definition and utilization. Proceedings of the 4th Seminar on Research Trends in Media Informatics. 39-46.
  19. Lieberman, H. (2020). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Intelligent Systems. Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Self-Supervised Learning, in Proceedings of Machine Learning Research 131:62-71 https://proceedings.mlr.press/v131/lieberman20a.html
  20. Lang, L., Foote, D., Russell, S. J., Dragan, A., Jenner, E., & Emmons, S. (2024). When your AIs deceive you: Challenges of partial observability in reinforcement learning from human feedback. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, 37, 93240-93299. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2402.1774 

About the Author

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Kira Warje

Kira holds a degree in Psychology with an extended minor in Anthropology. Fascinated by all things human, she has written extensively on cognition and mental health, often leveraging insights about the human mind to craft actionable marketing content for brands. She loves talking about human quirks and motivations, driven by the belief that behavioural science can help us all lead healthier, happier, and more sustainable lives. Occasionally, Kira dabbles in web development and enjoys learning about the synergy between psychology and UX design.

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